Killing Us Quietly
by plotweaver
Summary: Post HBP- As the trio searches for Horcruxes in a Death Eater infested Hogwarts, Hermione finds herself searching for answers in someone else. Dramione.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello! Ok, so, this is my first fanfiction ever. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that. 'Cause now you're gonna be all "Oh, no, this girl can't write blah blah blah..." As a first-time fanfiction author, I'm asking you to take a risk with me. Read it, and if it sucks, tell me (nicely). If it doesn't suck, keep reading.

**Disclaimer: **This is a Dramione fic. If you don't like Dramione, read it anyway, but don't be hatin'. Also, I do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. Unless someone buys me Dan Radcliffe for my birthday. Please?

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 1<span>**

The jostling of the train, which normally denoted the excitement of another year at Hogwarts, only served to set Hermione on edge. She already changed into her school robes out of habit and was enjoying the few, precious seconds she had alone in the compartment while the boys chased down the lunch cart.

Hermione pressed her forehead against the cool, glass window. Nothing seemed to make sense these days. It was only a couple of months ago that the three of them had sworn that they would not come back to Hogwarts to pursue Voldemort's Horcruxes; yet, here the three of them were. It had taken weeks of convincing on Hermione's part. Harry was dead set against returning to the castle until she brought up the fact that they had no other leads except that the remaining Horcruxes were probably attached to the four founders in some way. Once Ron sided with her, Harry reluctantly consented to making the journey back to Hogwarts.

"No stressing over lessons anymore," he had said. "None of it matters. I don't want you telling me and Ron that we have to finish our papers when there's Horcruxes out there to find."

"Of course," she replied, relieved that he had agreed to go back. "No distractions."

The rattling of the compartment door broke through Hermione's reverie. The boys had returned, arms full of tasty treats that spilled onto the seat next to Hermione.

"Really," she began, disapprovingly, "is all this necessary?"

"Well," said Ron thickly, mouth already full, "times are tough. You never know which meal will be your last."

Harry raised a box of Bertie Bott's towards him and grunted, "Cheers."

She rolled her eyes and took to staring out the window again. "Boys," she muttered.

The ride continued without incident until they screeched to a halt in Hogsmeade. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence; sometimes the train paused at the village to load on more cargo to take up to the school. What was uncommon was the voice booming down the train.

"Ministry checkpoint! Have wands at the ready to be examined on request!"

"What do they need to examine our wands for?" Harry asked, sitting upright.

"To see if we've been performing any illegal spells, I expect," Hermione said. "Some students may have been put under the Imperius Curse, or some of the of-age ones could be acting under orders from You-Know-Who himself."

Ron stood up to poke his head out of the compartment. "Well, that's the stupidest th-"

His voice faltered as a tall, dark figure appeared in the doorway. "Wands, please," the figure croaked with mock manners, his long features twisting into a sneer.

"Dolohov," Hermione whispered before she could stop herself. How could she forget? He nearly killed her during the battle at the Ministry in their fifth year. His taunts fused with her screams still echoed in her nightmares. Surely this couldn't be real.

"Ah, I thought I smelt a Mudblood in this compartment."

"Fuck off, Dolohov," Ron spat.

"Manners, Weasley," Dolohov hissed. "Obviously something we'll have to teach you. CRUCIO!"

Even though it was a minor hit, Dolohov wasn't really angry, Ron dropped to the floor in pain.

"Consider this your first lesson. Welcome back to Hogwarts," Dolohov cackled as he slammed the compartment door shut and moved on.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Ron groaned into the floor. Harry stepped over him and peeked out of the compartment only to jump back two seconds later.

"There's a pack of them moving up and down the train checking the compartments! Death Eaters!" he said, astonished.

"You don't think," Hermione started, "that Hogwarts… it can't be…. infiltrated? Wouldn't we have heard something from the Order?"

"Maybe they don't know yet," Harry said as Ron picked himself from off the floor and the train staggered forward, continuing its journey.

"Well, it sure as hell is gonna make Horcrux hunting that harder," Ron said.

"_If _Hogwarts has been infiltrated," Hermione said, "we can't cause any trouble. We've got to stay out of trouble and find them that much faster."

"Why are you looking at me when you say that?" Harry asked defensively.

"Oh, come on, Harry. Don't tell me you wouldn't pick a fight with a Death Eater if the opportunity arose."

"I'll behave," he said bitingly.

Hermione relaxed back into her seat. This could not be happening. Death Eaters at Hogwarts could very well mean that the Ministry had fallen as well. She knew that the war would come in full force soon; she just never expected it to happen so soon and at _Hogwarts._ Her home. No. No, this could not happen.

She was still in denial as they departed the train. Her thoughts absorbed so much of her that she almost didn't hear the call of, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"

Hagrid!

"Hagrid!" Harry called as the trio sprinted towards him. "Hagrid, what's going on? Why're the-"

"Can' talk now, Harry," Hagrid whispered, eyeing the Death Eaters stepping onto the platform. He hastily herded the small group of frightened first years towards the lake.

"Not good," Harry said. "We better get to the carriages."

Most of the students had hastily crowded into the carriages to escape the Death Eaters, so the trio rode by themselves. They rode in silence, too astonished to say anything.

When they arrived at the castle, they joined the crowd of students pushing to get inside. All of them were whispering anxiously to each other. Frightened looks flickered on every face. At long last, every Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor piled into his or her seats and Professor McGonagall stood before a hushed room.

"Now that we're all sorted there are a couple of announcements I have to make." The Great Hall held its breath. "There are many staff changes this year as the Ministry has seen fit to provide Hogwarts with a more 'regulated education'." McGonagall said tersely. "Our new professor of Muggle Studies," she gestured down the table, "Professor Travers. Our new professors of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Carrow and Professor Carrow. Our new headmaster, Professor Snape, is on an errand tonight and is unable to dine with us."

Harry opened his mouth to yell out in disbelief, but Hermione stepped on his foot.

"As you have noticed, we still have many new faces," McGonagall continued, "They will make up the new guard for your own… protection."

Hermione's head buzzed. This was too much information to process at once. Hogwarts _and_ the Ministry. The man who murdered Dumbledore was now headmaster. She shuddered at the thought of him having complete power over the students. They were only children. Children that would be subjected to Merlin knew what by this sorry excuse for a guard. They already looked as if they were sizing children up and down; the way predators assess their prey. She tore her gaze away from the Death Eaters. A torture squad. That's all they would be. If the Ministry had really been taken, they could get away with murder. Literally.

Hermione's breath caught when she realized that the face she was absently staring at was staring back at her. His gray eyes had been trained on her brown ones for an immeasurable amount of time. Whether it was out of absence of mind or intentional Hermione could not assess before he broke the strange tether between them to look down at his plate. _His face,_ Hermione thought, _it looked as worried as I feel. Shouldn't he be celebrating right about now?_

The hair on the back of Hermione's neck stood straight up throughout the rest of the feast. The Great Hall was uncommonly quiet for the duration of the meal. Every face routinely glanced up at the Death Eaters. Many of the first years looked as if they were going to burst into tears at any moment.

At long last, the feast ended. McGonagall dismissed them, and the sound of benches scraping the stone floor filled the air as the students rose to leave. Hermione gathered the first years and beckoned for them to follow her. She was in the doorway of the Great Hall when she saw Ron and Harry a couple of yards ahead of her. Ron recoiled as he bumped into another boy.

"Watch where you're going, git," she heard Ron mutter through gritted teeth.

"What did you say to me, Weasley?" the boy fired back.

"Nothing, Your Highness," Ron said after Harry shot him a warning look. With that, Ron stomped to the stairs.

Before he turned to make his descent into the dungeons, Hermione caught a final glimpse at the boy's face. Those stone gray eyes staring right back at her. He huffed in disgust and turned away, leaving Hermione with the image of Draco Malfoy's pain-etched face burning into the back of her brain.

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><p>Sunlight streamed into the castle through the windows, a stunning contrast to the mood throughout Hogwarts. Students had stayed out of the hallways as much as possible for the first week. Despite this, scores of them were being sent to detention with the Carrows every night. Hermione's worst fears about the torture were confirmed. Detentions consisted of any number of horrifically painful curses until the subject screamed for mercy.<p>

Hermione had taken to seeking refuge in the library every day. She delved into books that held any mention of the four founders, desperate to find something that would help them on their Horcrux hunt. On this particular day, a biography of Ravenclaw was her object of interest. As she read more and more, the book made less and less sense. She would finish a page and move on to the next, but the new page was a non-sequiter to the last. This happened several times before she ran her finger along the crease of the book where the pages meet the spine. Rough, jagged paper met her touch. Ripped out pages. She allowed for a tiny laugh on the inside. The old, pre-risen Voldemort Hermione would have gasped in horror that someone would defile a book in such a manner. Now Hermione felt horror for an altogether different reason. The Death Eaters were on to them.

Hermione slammed the book shut. _Were they watching her right now?_ She certainly felt like there were eyes on her. She craned her neck to peek through the shelves.

"'Mione! Psst! 'Mione, come on! There's trouble going on in the Great Hall!"

Hermione followed Neville without questioning, but for a second, she could've sworn she saw a pair of stone gray eyes staring back at her through the shelves.

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><p><strong>AN: **Aaaaand there's chapter one! I'm so incredibly happy that you made it all the way through, but do me one more favor and please R&R. Will update soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I apologize for the short length. It's still weird for me to gauge how long to make these. Please R&R if you like it!

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><p>Neville bounded down the stairs with Hermione in hot pursuit. Long before they had reached the landing that overlooked the Entrance Hall, Hermione could hear the screaming. As if the piercing cries of her friend were a magnet, Hermione rushed toward the source of the noise even faster.<p>

Luna.

She was sprawled out on the tile floor, her translucent hair fanned all around her. Blood trickled down from her scalp and bruises were beginning to blossom on every visible part of her body. Despite her obvious injuries, she stared up at her torturer with a curious expression. Alecto Carrow stood poised above her shaking with fury.

"What did you say to me, filthy blood-traitor?"

_Don't answer, Luna. Don't. _Hermione thought.

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but just as she did, a blaze of fiery red hair rushed forward. Alecto, wide-eyed and delirious with anger, cut through the air with her wand. Ginny managed to shield both herself and Luna before throwing back a powerful hex at the female Carrow. There was a loud BANG that resounded throughout the castle and thick smoke began protruding from the end of her wand. Within seconds, the entire hall filled with the billowing black smoke and made vision impossible.

Through the fog Hermione heard all manner of things. Yelps of surprise. The clanging of a suit of armor toppling to the floor. Alecto Carrow's growl of anger. The swish of a robe as it passed close by her.

Within a minute, the smoke dissipated. She briefly noted that the swish of the cloak in the smoke must have been Amycus Carrow's because he now stood close to his sister. Two seconds of drinking in her other surroundings told Hermione that Ginny and Luna had escaped. The only signs that they had been there sixty seconds previously were the stain of blood on the tile floor and Alecto's twisted grimace. The torturer's eyes swept the frightened crowd.

"YOU!"

If it was any possible for the room to become even more silent, it happened then.

The pack of students shrunk back from Carrow's withering stare. Hermione's breath stopped.

"You." A whisper this time.

_Me,_ Hermione thought.

Half of the spectators stared at her now. She could feel their sympathy-laden eyes trained on her.

_Me. She means me._

Maybe it was a subconscious need to do as she was told, or maybe it was the fact that her mind had somehow become detached from her body at seeing her friend being tortured, but Hermione slowly stepped forward.

She heard, rather than felt, her sharp intake of breath when Alecto grasped her bushy hair and yanked it upwards.

"Where did they go?" Alecto shrieked, shaking Hermione by the hair. "TELL ME, MUDBLOOD!"

"I don't know," Hermione managed to sputter.

"LIES!" Alecto flung her down to the cold floor.

Hermione knew this was coming. It was how the Death Eaters were wired. Once one piece of prey was done with, move on to the next. What did it matter who was being tortured as long as the torturing was done? _At least it's me and not poor Luna,_ she thought. Hermione closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable wave of unbearable pain.

_Breathe._

"Ah, Draco!"

Hermione's eyes fluttered open.

Alecto had paused with her wand high in the air, ready to strike. She was gesturing to the back of the hall.

"This would be an excellent time to continue your training," she cooed with delight.

Hermione's insides clenched. She maintained her stoic mask as she felt Draco's painfully slow footsteps approach her.

"Fellow Slytherins!" Alecto beamed, much like a circus ringleader now, "Observe how Draco attacks without hesitation or remorse. Observe how willing he is to pledge himself to the Dark Arts. How he allows the Curse to consume his entire being. You would do well to follow his example." Satisfied with her preface, she gave Draco a tiny nod.

_This is sick. Forcing students to torture each other. Forcing them to watch._

Any hope Hermione had that Draco would show mercy vanished as his face scrunched up in concentration. She saw him summon up the pure hatred required to perform the Cruciatus Curse. And then-

And then…

The pain was exquisite. No inch of her was spared. Her bones were on fire. Knives were stabbing at every skin cell. Unbearable. Every second stretched on for an hour.

After an eternity, the pain ceased. Hermione's senses were dull. Muffled voices were slipping in and out of her awareness as if they were coming to her from under water.

"That's it, Draco! Make her scream."

Hermione managed to clamp her teeth down on her tongue before the next bout of the Curse hit her.

Undiluted pain. No room to think. No room to breathe. The only part of her existence that mattered was the pure agony.

Once again, it ceased. She tasted blood in her mouth. Apparently she kept her mouth shut so hard that her tongue had begun to bleed. She would not give them the satisfaction of hearing her beg for mercy.

"More hatred, Draco. Make her feel what you feel."

Again. But it was different. A duller pain than before.

_He's losing it, _Hermione thought.

Alecto must have realized it too, because she screeched, "MAKE HER SCREAM!"

The pain briefly left.

"Dammit, Granger. Just fucking scream so this can be over." He was closer than Hermione thought. Close enough so that the Carrows wouldn't hear him.

For the fourth time, Draco hit her with the Cruciatus Curse.

_Anything, _she thought. _Anything to make this stop._

She wrenched her mouth open and let her scream betray how much pain she was in. It echoed throughout the Entrance Hall, announcing to the whole school that Hermione Granger was being tortured.

"Excellent, excellent!" Hermione heard the Carrows' praise above the ringing in her ears. It took her a full five seconds to realize that the torture had ended and the crowd was beginning to flee.

The last thing Hermione saw before her world went black was Draco flinch as the Carrows gave him approving thumps on the back.

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><p>"…then she finally screamed. It was awful. Then she sort of went limp and everyone was scared to touch her. Didn't know what the Death Eaters would do. You guys will definitely not be able to show your faces ag- Hermione!"<p>

Things started to come into focus as Hermione forced herself to sit up. The sudden residual pain nearly made her retch all over herself. Luna, Ginny, Ron, and Harry had been listening to Neville relive the events in the Entrance Hall. Ron had a disgusted look on his face. Harry was ever-present at Ginny's side with a look of fierce protectiveness about him. Luna had a clump of bloodstained gauze pressed to her head.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked.

"Room of Requirement. Only safe place we could think of for the moment. Ginny and Luna can't exactly be seen anymore in Hogwarts. Alecto would lose it," Neville said.

"Yeah, stay in here and leave you all to suffer the wrath of that cow? Sounds like a bang-up plan," Ginny huffed. "She's gonna know that you all know where we're hiding."

"Ginny, you've got to stay here. We can handle it," Harry said as if he had been repeating it nonstop for the past hour.

"You can't keep leaving me behind," Ginny said under her breath. Clearly it was meant for just Harry to hear, so the others averted their eyes even though they knew Harry and Ginny had this conversation on a regular basis.

Ron and Hermione shared a glance before Ron spoke up, "Right now, Ginny, you and Luna staying here is all we've got. Tomorrow, Harry, Hermione, and I will start what we came here for. Neville will look after you all. At least until something changes or we find a better plan. Yeah?" Ron looked rather pleased with himself for taking the initiative for once, but that didn't stop him from searching for approval in Hermione's face.

"Yeah. Right. Tomorrow."

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><p><strong>AN:** Hope you liked it! As always, thanks for even making it through to the end. Please make a girl super happy and review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I apologize that this chapter is so short. Midterms suck. Blah, blah, blah excuses, excuses, I know. It is a crucial chapter though! Happy reading!

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><p>"What?"<p>

"You heard me. You're to tail the Granger girl."

"The hell I am!"

"Need I remind you're parents are little more than hostages in their own house, Draco? And that the Dark Lord is looking for any slack in your duties as an excuse to kill you after your incident last June?"

"You mean where you stepped in and stole all my glory? You stole what was rightfully mine. You took it and now my family has hell to pay for-"

Draco's speech cut off when Snape's open hand made contact with his face.

"We both know why you refrained from acting that night," Snape said icily. "I was ordered to finish it so that the raid wouldn't be for nothing and your life would be spared."

Draco stuck up his chin.

"I could've killed Dumbledore if I had the chance."

Anger flashed in Snape's eyes, and Draco briefly tensed in anticipation of another slap. It never came.

"You will learn to be grateful one day. For now, you must do as I say if you want you and your family to continue living."

It wasn't a threat. It was a mere statement of fact, and Draco knew it.

"So you want me to babysit that disgusting Mudblood to see—What the fuck?"

Snape had lunged at Draco, taking him by the scruff of the neck and slamming him against one of his office walls. A couple of books rained down to the floor from the force of the impact.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ use that word in front of me again," Snape shook Draco as he spoke. "Do you understand me?"

"Clearly."

Snape released Draco and slowly paced to the center of the room.

"I can see that this is going to be an issue," the headmaster said, his back still toward the blonde.

Draco snorted in response.

"Then you've left me with no other choice."

Before Draco even opened his mouth to ask what the hell he meant, Snape had spun around with his wand thrust in front of him.

"FORTIBUS VINCULUM!"

The spell hit Draco squarely in the chest, and, for the second time, he was slammed into the wall behind him.

Finally, after many groans and stumbles, Draco found his feet. The pain was immense. His back was sure to have bruises in a few hours, and his heart…

Oh, Merlin, his _heart_…

His entire chest cavity felt like it would be ripped apart at any second. It wasn't just the pain; he could feel a mighty pull toward something, like the way magnets attract, but infinitely stronger. Through heaving breaths he managed to find his voice.

"Wh-what the _hell_ have you d-done to me?"

"I've placed an Intangible Tether between you and Miss Granger."

Only the pain kept Draco from attempting to hex Snape into oblivion. Instead, he directed all his venom into trying to form his next question.

"What the _fuck_-"

"Obscenities betray a limited vocabulary, Draco. If you could have restrained yourself from hurling them at me for ten seconds, you would have learned that the Intangible Tether will keep you linked with Miss Granger until I decide to lift it. It will ensure that you will do your duty. The pain you are feeling now will eventually dull. It will, however, become stronger the further away from Miss Granger you are. So either do your duty, tail her, and find out where she's hiding her friends, or live in incredible agony. Got it?"

Draco didn't bother to answer as he tore out of the room. He meant to head directly to the dungeons, but his feet couldn't take him that far. They couldn't even take him to the end of the hall. He collapsed against the wall, the cool stone offering no relief to the burning within him.

How could he have sunk so low so quickly? He knew he was as good as dead when the Dark Lord commanded him to murder Dumbledore, but he was so ready to rise to the occasion. He was so ready to prove that he was actually worth the fame and worth the glory. He could've killed him. He _would've._ But he didn't.

And it landed him a babysitting job. Humiliating.

Draco rose to his feet, desperate to retain some sense of dignity. Gingerly, he took a step in the direction of the Slytherin common room. The anguish in his chest forced him to his knees. The titanium pull was directing him the opposite way down the hall and up the stairs; he could only assume it was to the Gryffindor common room. Pausing a few moments to catch his breath and wage an internal war of what to do for the night, he finally swore under his breath and rose to his feet for the second time.

Cursing himself and his own weakness with every step he took, Draco ascended the nearby staircase, following the Tether. It demanded the path of least resistance, so Draco found himself crouching through hidden passageways and climbing secret ladders he didn't even know existed. Every inch he advanced forward brought him a small relief from the pain, so by the time he soon himself face-to-face with a portrait of a rather ugly, rotund woman snoozing in a shocking pink dress, he felt considerably better.

Thinking this led to yet another covert passageway, Draco began trying to pry the frame from the wall. This, of course, woke the Fat Lady almost immediately.

"I say!" she exclaimed, causing Draco to jump back with surprise. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Let me through," Draco said, rather irritably.

"Password?"

The inquiry was met with a glare and a sigh from the exasperated blonde as he realized he'd reached the end of the line.

His search for an empty classroom near the Fat Lady took less time than he expected, and, at long last, he settled down for some much needed rest.

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><p>What seemed like seconds later, Draco woke to the sunlight streaming across his face. His back, stiff from sleeping on the hard floor, groaned in protest as he rose to his feet. He stretched, bent, and twisted, testing to see if there was any excess pain in any other parts of his body. The Tether certainly felt softened. He prided himself on not being as weak as he thought for a glorious five seconds until he felt it soften even more… And even more…<p>

Involuntarily, he strode over to the door.

"No, really, I'll join you in a bit, I've just got to send this owl first."

_Merlin…_

He knew at once whose voice it was. Not because he had become accustomed to her soft but determined tones for seven years, but because the second she spoke, an incredible feeling washed over him. Her voice didn't just numb the pain, it erased it completely. The desire to hear her voice again overwhelmed him. The need to throw open the door and beg her to speak again was apparent to him at once.

And it disgusted him.

Draco wanted to curse every hair on her head for being the one who held this power over him. A filthy Mudblood, of all people!

Nevertheless, he waited until the footsteps outside the door died down before he snuck out into the hall and followed the Tether towards the Owlery and sweet relief.

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><p><strong>AN:** So... What did you think? As always, thank you for even making it through the chapter, but keep me happy and tell me what you thought. Comments? Suggestions?

Thank you to Heather for adding this story to your favorites! And thanks to chapstickenthusiast for the wonderful encouragement on tumblr and lgibbs10 for your review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here you go! Another chapter. I hope you like it.

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><p>Hermione finished scrawling the last words to her letter in the Owlery.<p>

"_Don't worry, Mum. Everything is fine at Hogwarts. Give Dad a kiss for me. Love, Hermione."_

Of course she felt bad lying to her parents, but it was the only way to keep them safe. If the war ever spread into the Muggle world, Hermione would have to take even more drastic action to protect them. She shuddered at the thought: her parents running, her parents hiding. She hated being away from them even for the terms at Hogwarts, but this would be much, much worse.

She kissed the parchment before she folded it into the envelope. With an affectionate smile, she called down Pigwedgeon. She knew he would be more eager than Hedwig would since it was still very early in the morning. The chipper, noisy ball of feathers finally managed to hold still long enough for Hermione to attach the letter to his leg and send him off. She watched until he was a small pinprick against the sky.

Then she heard a noise behind her and realized that someone had been watching.

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><p>Draco had grudgingly climbed the stairs to the Owlery as his stomach growled.<p>

_Who the hell sends a letter this early in the morning?_

When he reached the top of the stairs, he was slightly out of breath. He rounded the corner into the high-ceiling Owlery, and there she was.

Her presence hit him suddenly, and what little breath he had left him.

The effects of her voice were nothing compared to this.

Not had the whole concept of pain been erased from Draco's memory, but he was overcome by a wonderful sense of belonging. This was where he was supposed to be. It was a feeling he had not felt in years.

_No, no, NO!_

This couldn't be happening. He had to go to Snape. Surely this was a joke. Lesson learned; accept your orders as soon as they're given to you.

Draco turned to leave, but a jerk from his heart in Hermione's direction stopped him short. At the sound of his breath leaving him all at once, she turned around.

"What're you doing?" She was obviously startled.

With a deep breath, he turned around.

"I hope that letter wasn't important, Granger. Using Weasley's owl practically ensures that it won't reach its destination." A good insult or well-placed flattery never failed to get him out of a sticky situation, and he was not about to use flattery on Granger.

Hermione simply made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat and began to walk towards the exit and Draco.

He side-stepped away from the exit and hastily backed up to a far wall.

"Don't you dare come any closer to me, you Mudblood." The sentence came out harsher than he meant it. The stress from the past twelve hours built up inside of him and it was all too easy to direct his anger at the bushy-haired know-it-all.

She halted, and Draco saw pure fury flash in her eyes.

"Don't come any closer to you?" She asked incredulously. Draco's eyes widened as he comprehended what she was about to do.

Hermione lunged towards him. Draco threw up his hands in defense, but that didn't stop her from grabbing fistfuls of the collar of his robes and pulling his face so close that he could count her freckles if he had a mind to.

"I'm sorry. Am I polluting your precious, Pureblood air?" She shook him forcefully with each syllable.

It was the moment where you couldn't tell if the water is scalding hot or bone-chillingly cold. It was the moment where you couldn't tell if a sensation was a pleasant tickle or a twinge of pain. The moment of indistinction between pleasure and pain. Desire and disgust.

Draco wanted nothing more than for the nest of bushy hair that was currently in his face to be light years away from his person. On the other hand, it just felt so _right…_

"NO!" He yelled at his runaway thoughts. Moving to solidify his protest, he twisted himself out of Granger's grip and pushed himself up against the far wall.

As soon as he was out of her reach, Hermione snapped out of her rage-induced trance and looked at Draco with an expression he easily recognized: remorse. But this was a different remorse than he had seen staring back at him through a mirror all sixth year or etched on his parents' faces. No, this was the remorse untainted by self-pity and self-loathing.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, not meeting his eyes this time. "I don't know what—"

"Have you gone barking mad, Granger?" Draco couldn't help himself. It was old habit now. "You better watch your step next time, or—"

"Or what?" Her eyes snapped back to him. He saw a flicker of her previous anger and braced himself for another onslaught, but she backed down and quietly turned to leave.

At the doorway she paused.

"I pity you."

The words were spoken so softly that Draco hardly believed she said them. By the time he looked up, she was gone.

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><p><em>Idiotic. Completely juvenile to let my temper get away from me like that.<em>

The encounter was brief, but Hermione could not believe how rashly she had behaved. Years of anger held against Draco, against anyone who judged her or would hold her back because of her birth, came bubbling forth in a split second. It had to be the cabin fever she was getting in this prison. The oppression she felt as the Death Eaters breathed down their necks during mealtimes and every hour in between was becoming unbearable. Not to mention the fact that the last time she saw Malfoy's loathsome blonde head, he was torturing her.

"_Have you gone barking mad, Granger?"_

_Yes, _she thought in reply. _It's certainly starting to feel like it._

Hermione sidled into her spot at the Gryffindor table next to Harry and across from Ron.

"You alright, Hermione?" Ron asked. She hadn't given herself enough time to de-fluster.

"Perfectly fine," she lied.

"Alright. I was just telling Ron how Luna's told me about the Lost Dia-thingy of Ravenclaw."

"The Lost Diadem," Hermione supplied easily.

"Right. I figure it's worth a shot," Harry continued. "Of course, we're going to have to break in to their common room. It'll be a risk, but we knew…"

Hermione didn't hear the rest of Harry's speech because, at that moment, an equally flustered blonde boy entered the Great Hall and took his place at the Slytherin table. She was reminded again of all her feelings in the Owlery: how fed up she was with everything. In the days to come, she regretted the frustration that prompted her to say her next words.

"Let's do it tonight."

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><p><strong>AN: **Yay! Another chapter down! As always, thank you for even making it through to the end. If you like it, tell me (by reviewing)! If you hate it, tell me also (in a nice way, by reviewing).


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** First of all, I'm so so sorry that I missed my weekly update. Stuff was a little crazy this week. One of my friends went haywire on me and it really messed me up for the rest of the week. Anyway, here is chapter 5! I'm very nervous about this chapter for some reason. It was more difficult to write than all the others. Oh, well. Happy reading!

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><p>This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.<p>

The footfalls of the boys seemed to reach her ears in slow motion as they sprinted along the dark corridor, the Invisibility Cloak streaming behind them. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. Her legs screamed at her to stop.

But she couldn't.

Her life and the lives of the three boys behind her depended on their escaping this hallway undetected.

Hermione risked a glance over her shoulder. Harry's jet-black hair made him nearly impossible to spot, but she finally caught a glint of his glasses as they streaked past a moonlit window. Once she had reassured herself that Ron was also still with them, she snapped her gaze forward again and pushed herself to run faster.

Never mind the blonde running between Harry and Ron.

Hermione's heart beat faster.

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><p>"There's no way we'll get caught!"<p>

"There are actually several ways we can get caught, Ron. Even if it is a reconnaissance mission, it's still dangerous," Hermione said.

The trio sat in a corner of the Room of Requirement debating the course of events for that night. Luna and Ginny sat in another corner eating their lunch that the trio smuggled from the Great Hall.

Hermione and Ron surprised Harry when they agreed with his go-to plan of using the Invisibility Cloak to conceal them until they arrived at Ravenclaw Tower and to simply search the common room. Luna informed them of the riddle password and they all felt comfortable they could bypass it with Hermione there.

"But you just agreed-"

"I agreed that it was the best option we have, not that it was a fool-proof one," Hermione replied a little more bitter than she intended. She still had not fully recovered from the incident in the Owlery. She needed to do something to help end the war if she wanted to remain sane.

He had been so _close._

Hermione shook her bushy head and continued.

"If Voldemort wanted a Horcrux from each founder, it's likely that those Horcruxes are hidden somewhere in their common rooms. There's a whole chapter in Hogwarts: A History-"

"Does that book hold the answer to everything?"

"That explains how protective each founder was over their secrets," Hermione continued, ignoring Ron's snide comment. "An obvious example is the Chamber of Secrets, but the other founders would go so far as hiding knowledge of new spells and potions from one another so they're house would advance further than all the rest. Did you know that Helga Hufflepuff-"

"No, Hermione. We don't know," Ron began sarcastically. "No one could ever know the contents of Hogwarts: A History by heart like you, because you're the only one who's read it-"

Harry rose from his spot on the floor and began pacing the room. Hermione noticed that he had a lower tolerance for the bickering between her and Ron lately.

_I don't blame him for being annoyed, _she thought. _Ron can be a clueless idiot sometimes. _As she thought it, an affectionate half-smile formed on her face. She wouldn't trade either of the boys for the world.

"You alright, mate?"

Hermione was brought back to the present by Ron's question. She looked up. Harry was standing a couple yards away from them with what appeared to be a picture in his hand. He stared at it intensely with his mouth hanging slightly open.

"What?" Ron said when Harry mumbled something unintelligible.

"Regulus Black."

Hermione clambered to her feet and rushed to Harry's side to see what he was holding.

It was, indeed, a picture. The same picture of the old Order that had hung in the Room of Requirement during DA meetings. Smiling up at them was the happy face of a much younger Sirius Black.

"Regulus…" Hermione murmured. "R.A.B."

"R.A.B.? You mean that bloke that took the locket?" Ron asked.

Harry shared a look with Hermione, silently asking her if she thought it was plausible.

"It definitely could be," she said. "I wouldn't doubt it. He was a Death Eater and very skilled in the Dark Arts, according to Sirius. He'd have the means, but it would've been a huge risk."

Harry appeared to sink deeper in thought.

"Just because we know who took it doesn't mean we know if he destroyed it. For all we know, that slimy git could have just moved it for You-Know-Who and left the note to confuse people," Ron said.

"Kreacher," Harry said finally.

"What?"

"Kreacher," he repeated. "Regulus was his master at the time, and he hoarded all his stuff after he died. Maybe he'd know."

"It's worth a shot," Hermione said. She felt her excitement rise at the prospect of new leads, but she quickly recalled the need to act fast as she looked over at Ginny and Luna. "We need to stick to our plan for tonight, though. The more we get done as soon as possible, the better. We can visit the kitchens tomorrow."

The boys agreed with her and they went back to attempting to foresee any problems they might have that night.

Harry and Ron left to go to the common room and mentally prepare for the coming night hours before Hermione left the Room of Requirement lost in thought. She tried to push the feeling that their attempt tonight was heartbreakingly futile out of her mind as she made her way over to the staircase.

Rushed footsteps against the marble floor caught her attention. The hallways were always clear at this time in the evening, so the lone sound reverberated annoyingly through her head.

Unconscious curiosity took over, and she peered down the hallway that the fast rhythm seemed to be coming from. She saw a flash of blonde as the owner of the footsteps hurriedly turned the corner, obviously not wanting to be seen.

Her moment of shock lasted her all the way up the stairs, past the portrait hole, and into the girls' dormitory.

_He knew._

He had to know. Her gut instinct was certain that Malfoy had been watching the Room of Requirement to see if any Gryffindor would use it since it had been most useful to Dumbledore's Army two years ago. Why else would he be so far from his common room when no one dared to wander around?

_He knew._

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><p>After Draco spent the majority of his day with a mere wall separating himself and Granger, he found it almost easy to tear himself away from her once she left the Room of Requirement. He did not wish to stay any longer than he had to near the location that had been his center of torment for the past year. The place where, every day, he contemplated his death and the death of his family at the hands of Lord Voldemort held no interest for him.<p>

At least Snape would be happy. He was doing his "duty".

As soon as Granger left, he did too, taking a long detour up to his new room near Gryffindor Tower.

He had that truly exhausted feeling of a person who has done nothing but wait all day, so he fell asleep instantly.

Draco's dream was an oppressive green. Surrounding him on all sides, the water should have been providing an unbearable pressure, but he felt comfortable as he propelled himself through the forest of amber seaweed. He knew he was searching for something in the depths, but what? It couldn't be far now; the sunlight's reach didn't extend much farther into the murky water. Draco swam faster. Out of nowhere, a giant net scooped him up and forced him in the opposite direction. _No!_ He thrashed against it, but the net's power was too great. He was being pulled… pulled… pull….

Smack.

His abrupt collision with the door yanked him back to consciousness. While he was asleep, his body had involuntarily followed the magical pull that nearly threw him through the door. He looked at the window. It was black outside.

_What the hell is that girl doing out at a time like this? Doesn't she have the brains to know she could get killed?_

Despite his frustration at her stupidity and for reasons he couldn't explain, he snuck into the tomb-like hallways of the castle, obeying the spell. As he neared the library, the pull grew restless and his pace quickened. He started up an unfamiliar staircase that appeared to be the tallest in the entire school. Near the top Draco began to hear voices.

"Both Muggles and wizards seek to change me, but I obey no man. What am I?"

"Time," came the voice that soothed the tension in Draco's chest. He lingered at the top of the staircase, taking care to remain out of sight should the three figures in front of him decide to turn around.

The first voice apparently came from the gold knocker on the wooden door, because, in the next second, it replied, "That's correct," and the door swung open.

Past the doorway was a room adorned with blue hangings and books galore. Draco instantly realized what they were doing, but _why? _Granger and Potter entered the room, leaving loathsome Weasley outside to deal with.

_Well, _Draco thought as he advanced, wand at the ready, _This should be fun._

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><p><strong>AN: **Aaaaand there's chapter 5! I really hope you liked it. As always, thanks for reading it. Please please please please _please _review. And thank you to those of you who have added me to your alerts/favorites: MyyBlueRose, terraXXbbXXFAN2, jbboox93, Mythotica, moonowner, JaspersEmotionalGirl, Emoprincess21, princessNyxxx I'm looking at you guys ;-)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Here's Chapter 6! Enjoy!

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><p>Draco advanced, his eyes on his prey. The perfection of this moment caused his pulse to pound in his ears. Weasley alone, no sodding Granger to save him. He had made fun of Draco for too long and found safety in the shadows of better wizards. Revenge seldom crossed anyone's path, but it was so close to Draco that he was shaking in anticipation.<p>

And, yet, he hesitated.

Later, if you asked him why, Draco would have answered that it was simply a knee-jerk reaction. There was no explanation. But, _Merlin_, he regretted it.

The dark, wooden door with the gold knocker swiftly opened and out spilled Granger and Potter. Both had alarmed looks on their faces and were out of breath. Granger noticed him first.

But none of that mattered; because the instant the Mudblood was in his presence, Draco was hit with the same euphoric feeling that filled him up in the Owlery. Lost in the shock of such a sensation, he soon found himself disarmed and at the mercy of three wands.

"We can't just leave him here," she said in a hushed voice. Draco's knees almost buckled at how _right _it felt to hear her voice. He shook as the conflict of longing and revulsion warred in his gut. He missed the next of her mumbled words but caught the only ones that mattered. "He knows," she said to the other two boys.

It all happened in seconds: the door opening, incapacitation due to excess of Granger, to being forced down the corridor in a dead sprint at wandpoint.

Millions of insults threatened to burst forward from his lips, but one look at Granger's face silenced them all. Fear jumped at him from every feature of her face before she took off running, the boys following her closely.

_What the hell were they running from?_

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><p>A ward. How could she not have anticipated this? Hermione silently chastised herself as they ran down the dark hallway. They had mere seconds before hordes of Death Eaters would deduce what had happened at Ravenclaw Tower and come looking for them. Wards that powerful usually meant the caster would kill first and ask question later.<p>

She knew it was only a matter of time before the Death Eaters brought her, Harry, and Ron to Voldemort. If she was being honest with herself, she was surprised that it hadn't happened already. One of the conditions that the trio agreed on before returning to Hogwarts was having an escape plan in the event that the Death Eaters became hostile or if one of them were captured. The only reason they hadn't needed to put it into effect would be because he was planning something truly terrible. Or…

_Or maybe because he knows something we don't, _Hermione thought as they ran for their lives. _Maybe we're missing something._

Eventually they arrived on the seventh floor and found an empty classroom. The boys shoved Draco to the other side of the room and kept their wands trained on him.

"You know too much," Hermione began.

"So you're going to kill me. Is that it, Mudblood?" Draco added the obscenity to heighten his defiance.

Hermione exerted an abnormal amount of self-control to keep her eyes from rolling.

"You'd be lucky if we ended your sorry excuse for a life, Malfoy!" Ron lunged forward. Hermione, with a surprising amount of strength, caught him and pushed him back. Her disapproving look silenced him completely.

She turned to face Draco with her wand at the ready.

"I'm sorry, Draco. This won't hurt."

As she concentrated on the Memory Charm, she saw something briefly flicker across Draco's face. Fear? Hermione shook her head. She needed to concentrate if she was going to do this properly.

"Obliv-"

BANG.

All was lost in the smoke and debris when the Death Eaters blew the door clean off its hinges. Hermione spun around, desperate to find a vantage point. The explosion left a ringing in her ears that made it even more difficult to deduce what was happening around her.

A firm grip enclosed around her wrist. She didn't dare say Harry or Ron's names aloud and give away her position through the dissipating smoke.

The smoke cleared and her fate became apparent.

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><p>Draco coughed as the smoke entered his lungs. He couldn't see or hear anything.<p>

But he could still feel the bond. That ever-present, damned yank guided him to his target. His hand found more than he bargained for in the contact with her wrist.

The instant his skin touched hers all hell broke loose within him. His eyes widened. Goosebumps rose on his arms. An infectious, magical calm spread from his contact with Granger to his entire body. The chaos around him meant nothing. He needed to maintain contact.

And it pissed him off.

He wanted nothing more than to launch a thousand curses at her. Maybe if she were dead or severally injured the bond would be severed. Maybe when the smoke cleared, the comrades he despised would take her away and that could be the end of it. Snape would be satisfied and there would be no further need for the tether.

The wonderful, blissful, _fucking_ tether.

Something else joined the smoke. A rolling fog pressed itself over Draco's eyes. It barreled into his ears so that even the ringing from the explosion stopped. He was utterly numb. Starting at the back of his skull and moving its way forward, a tingling feeling spread over his entire head. He had no way of knowing where he was, how much time had passed, or anything of consequence.

Slowly, his senses returned to him. First, his sight pushed through both fog and smoke to see the small pack of grimy adults staring at him with glee. He absently noted that his view was partially obstructed by a large amount of bushy brown hair. Next, his sense of touch coursed through his body. After a few seconds of wondering what the odd feeling in his heart was, he realized he was gripping an arm that belonged to the bushy brown hair. Then, the fog rushed out of his ears.

"-illiantly done, Draco! Your father would be proud," one of the men said as he stepped forward and wrenched the girl from his grasp. It took him a moment to realize that the previous sentiment was directed toward him.

_Draco. That's my name. Right. Draco Mull-…. Draco Mar-…._

As he sounded out last names in his head, the man paraded the girl with the bushy hair around the room as if she were some pathetic trophy. Draco didn't like that. It hurt when he brought her closer to the opposite side of the room. He nearly stepped forward to protest when the man threw her to the floor in front of Draco.

"We'll let you have the honors, Draco, of disposing her. Her death will bring great honor to your family, and, let's face it, the Malfoys could do with a little more honor at the moment," the man said with a sneer.

_Malfoy! That's it! Draco Malfoy. And those are Death Eaters. And this is…_

His pale eyes found the defiant, dark ones.

_Granger._

Draco noticed that everyone in the room, including the girl at his mercy, was watching him expectantly. Every piece of body language hinted that he should act.

_I know we're here for a reason, but what? What happened? Why should I kill this girl?_

She bore no trace of fear, no sign of weakness. She was gracefully stationary, and Draco had to admire her. He could not kill her. What reason could he have for destroying such a creature?

"No," a brilliantly low voice declared, "she is not to be harmed. Bring her to me."

Draco obeyed. A beautifully familiar feeling rushed through him as he took her by the arm and brought her to stand in front of the man the voice belonged to.

_Snape, _Draco noted. There was a small hint of discomfort in the recollection that he quickly dismissed.

Snape took Granger and, with a slight jerk of the head that was only meant for Draco, motioned for him to follow. With a last scathing look at the Death Eaters, Snape led the small party out of the room and into the depths of the castle.

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><p><strong>AN: **Aaaaaaaaand there's Chapter 6! I really hoped you liked it! As always, thank you for reading. If you want to make me really happy, tell me what you think by reviewing! Huge thanks to my good friend Jordan who gave this fic an awesome compliment! Thank you to CentrIfficus and Happy8D for adding me to your favorites/alerts! You guys are lovely. Good night!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I hope this works. The doc manager is being really really weird right now. Anyway, here is Chapter 7 for your reading pleasure!

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><p>Snape pulled the wand out of Hermione's grip as they descended the staircase. He directed his disapproving tone towards Draco.<p>

"Through all that you didn't even think to disarm her?"

Draco simply shook his head. The majority of his memory had returned to him. He knew who he was, where he was, and whom he was with, but how or why he wound up in this situation still eluded him.

Snape led them into the dungeons, past corridors Draco had never explored before. They came up on a rather wide alcove with shackles dangling from the ceiling. Snape gently forced Hermione into the space before conjuring an Impedimentia Jinx over the entrance. Draco swore he saw Snape give Hermione an almost apologetic glance before guiding the younger Slytherin a safe distance down the hall.

"Now," Snape said, "explain yourself."

"I… I don't know what happened."

"The ward in Ravenclaw Tower? You catching Granger?"

"I don't know," Draco said. It was apparent that he should, and he searched his memory for anything vaguely resembling what Snape was searching for, but he yielding nothing.

Snape's face twisted with his scrutiny before crinkling in concentration. Draco knew this look. Out of pure instinct, he wiped his mind of everything: confusion, frustration, and the strange fear that had been integrated into his being since the Dark Lord's return.

Snape's look of focus snapped to one of anger once he realized that Draco barred any intruders from his mind. Acting on his frustration, Snape grabbed Draco by the front of his robes and shook him.

"Do you not realize what I'm trying to do, Draco? Your family would not appreciate you withholding information when they are the ones who have to pay!"

A faint echo sounded off in Draco's mind. This felt vaguely familiar: being shaken by the front of his robes over something entirely bewildering.

After his outburst, Snape released Draco with a huff of disgust.

"Stay here," Snape said as he strode back down the corridor, "watch her, and ponder your fate if you continue to remain silent."

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><p>Hermione gave up trying to overhear their conversation after the first minute. It was no use; they were too far down the corridor, and she was wandless and trapped. She had no way of knowing if her frantic attempt at a Memory Charm had worked on Malfoy. The fates of Luna and Ginny, and possibly Harry and Ron, depended on it.<p>

She huddled against the cold, stone wall. It would take weeks for the boys to find her down here. Enough time for the Death Eaters to force-feed her Veritaserum, torture out of her mind, or decide that she was too useless to keep her alive.

Through all this, the years of sticking by Harry and the Order, she could not let this one mistake crumble everything. There was no way she could let this be the end.

"_You really are the brightest witch of your age."_

Sirius's words filled her mind, and she repeated them until they became a mantra. She would make it out of this alive. She had to.

It wasn't long before a slightly slumped figure came into view in front of the alcove.

Hermione straightened up and tentatively called out, "Who's there?"

The figure jerked its face up out of the shadows as if noticing her for the first time. It was Draco. She was accustomed to seeing him walk with his chest thrust out, brimming with arrogance; not like this. He looked defeated, scared. Due to her caring nature, her first instinct told her to assist him or comfort him. She took a few steps forward before she reminded herself who she was looking at.

Her eyes moved from how he was carrying himself to his face. Its differences also took her by surprise. Not only were his eyes darker and less jubilant, but there was no hint of hatred anywhere on his face. A sight Hermione had never seen.

Draco's eyes remained focused on her with such an intensity that Hermione began to feel uncomfortable. She took a step backward. Simultaneously, he stepped forward. Hermione could feel the mixture of confusion and fear cross her face. He was armed; she was not. A reaction crossed Draco's face that she couldn't put words to, and he continued to step closer to her, his gaze never wavering.

_Surely he'll remember the jinx. He'll stop. He's not that stupid._

But he didn't stop. The second he made contact with the jinx he was sent backwards, barreling into the opposite dungeon wall. He swore loudly when the pain registered.

Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or desperately find some way to help. She settled for barely keeping the nervous laugh building in her chest out of her voice when she asked if he was okay.

"Fantastic," he answered bitterly as he picked himself off of the floor.

Once she had assessed from afar that he had no serious injuries, she relaxed into her know-it-all self.

"What were you thinking? You saw Snape cast the Jinx. You knew it was there, and you walked right into it!"

She knew it was unwise to say anything to potentially provoke a hostile attack, but she couldn't help it. With any other Death Eater she would keep her mouth shut, but this was _Draco Malfoy._ Nearly seven years of constant teasing trained her to never back down from the heated verbal fights they always seemed to get into.

Apparently he felt differently as he merely glanced at her and hurried off down the corridor without a word.

Draco only moved far enough down the dimly lit hallway to be out of sight of the alcove. Just far enough so he wouldn't be persuaded by the sight of Granger to do any more stupid things and close enough that the bond was nearly satisfied.

Back against the wall, he sunk to the floor. His fingers raked through his platinum hair. He was going insane. He had to be. This spell was going to be the death of him.

Because, for a second, he lost track of the bond, didn't realize it was working on him, and let his feet be motivated by the mere fact that he wanted to see her eyes, those deep, chocolate eyes, up close.

He wanted to see what made Mudblood eyes so different than his own.

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><p><strong>AN:** There's Chapter 7! I hope you liked it. Again, sorry if the format isn't right, the doc manager is being a butt right now. Thanks to CentrIfficus for the lovely review! Much love to you. You should all make me just as happy by reviewing (it takes two seconds and brings me tons of joy). Have a good week! 


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Huzzah! Chapter 8 is up! And, yes, I do use the word "huzzah" regularly. Anyway, read!

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><p>In the weeks to follow, Hermione was left in Draco's charge.<p>

Her days would begin with waking up to the feeling of magic being quieted, the clank of a plate piled with food hitting the floor, and a soft "Impedimenta" before she saw the end of a cloak whip back around the corner. Her day would continue in silence; her prison was buried so deep under the castle that no noise from the school reached her. She learned quickly that her meals would only appear when her back was turned. The only indication that Draco left the meals was the whispered spell restoring the barrier. She supposed he hid himself due to the embarrassing incident her first night in her makeshift cell; Draco always went to great lengths to retain his vanity.

Therefore, she went along with the little ritual.

Little did she know that Draco did this not to conceal himself, but to shield himself.

After he gave Granger her food, he would stride down the corridor as far as he could go before the tether forced him to the ground, quietly gasping. Every time he did this, he felt a surge of hate toward himself. Granger of all people should not have this power over him. He'd face her.

He'd face her and show her who held the power in this situation. He'd make her hurt as much as he did.

The courage and anger would swell until he remembered what the mere sight of her Mudblood eyes looking into his did. The eyes that he had never looked in properly in nearly seven years of knowing her. The eyes that didn't seem so different than any other person's. The eyes that were almost…

_No._

"This ends now," Draco hissed as he scrambled to his feet.

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><p>Hermione heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. Normally this was her cue to turn around, and she did so, but not without some confusion. The footsteps were hurried and anxious when the norm was reluctant and heavy. Besides, she received a meal not two hours ago. Someone coming for her now could only mean bad news.<p>

The footsteps died down behind her. She waited for the inevitable pain, the barrage of curses, anything. Instead, nothing but a sharp intake of breath reached her ears. Like someone preparing for torture.

Her brow furrowed with confusion, but she held her position; there was no way she would bring on the wrath prematurely. She didn't have to wait long before the silence was broken again.

"Look at me," Draco, for she now knew it was him, barely whispered. She stiffened at his odd request.

"Look at me!" he demanded more strongly once he realized she wouldn't comply immediately.

She nearly rolled her eyes at the arrogance and impertinence in his voice, but she did as commanded.

Her confusion only increased when she saw that Draco's hands were clenched into fists tight at his sides and his face was scrunched in concentration. The moment Hermione lifted her eyes to his face, his entire body began to shake. After the first impulse to burst out laughing left her, she began to worry. Was there something wrong with him? Should she yell for help on his behalf despite there being no chance anyone would hear it?

_No, _she thought. _It's something else. He's just concentrating very hard. _As soon as it dawned on Hermione, her demeanor changed. In the effort of wiping her mind of all thoughts, she subconsciously took on his body language: clenched fists and wrinkled face.

The change severed Draco's concentration.

"What are you doing?"

The question took Hermione by surprise. Taking care to keep her mind blank, she relaxed her body.

"Was that the face you make to attract Weasley? I must say he does seem to go after the constipated type. Wasn't he with Brown last year until she realized even she could do better than him?"

Despite the flutter of anger at his words, she felt relief that he was attempting normalcy. Though, it didn't contain as much venom as his usual insults.

_Focus, Hermione. He's only saying all this to find a way in your head. Think of nothing…_

_Nothing._

"Or maybe the war has finally traumatized you into being as stupid as you look."

_Nothing. Nothing. Nothing._

"Or maybe…" Draco trailed off, now looking at Hermione with a curious expression.

"Let me assure you," he continued. "There is no piece of information worth me delving into your Mudblood mind." When Hermione opened her mouth to reply, he cut her off. "I've made that face too many times to not know what it means."

The honesty and near-softness in his voice derailed her entire mind.

"And why would you have to hide your thoughts from anyone? Haven't you sworn your life to him: body, actions, and thoughts?" Hermione took an involuntary step forward.

Maybe she had underestimated Draco. He was still a pathetic, foul person, but maybe he had a sense of something other than simply bowing to the will of those in power.

More importantly, she found her way out.

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><p>She had him. And she could see it. How could he have been so stupid to let something like that slip?<p>

He recalled something his father used to grab him by the shoulder and say: "Never let them know you have a weakness. Better yet, don't have a weakness."

It was impossible, in times like these, to be invincible. To wipe clean any feebleness. As much as he tried, as much as he wished, trained, and tortured, nothing purified him.

_Nobody could be completely pure, _he thought as he hardened his gaze toward the Mudblood. Staring into her fearless face he began to wonder if her only weakness was her blood status.

_Of course she has another weakness, _Draco turned away from bushy-haired Granger to return to his usual spot down the hall. _She has the propensity to love._

And that, he decided, would be her downfall.

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><p><strong>AN: **Now that you are done reading, may I say how incredibly sorry I am that it took me longer than usual to update? It's because I started watching Supernatural this week. I can now say that I am hooked on the show (finished season 1 in 5 days). So blame it on how gorgeous and funny Jensen Ackles is.

Anyway, thanks to bushyhaired-american-nerd for adding this story to your alerts and for the review! Everyone else, review if you feel so inclined (which you should, because it takes two seconds and makes me feel happy for a very long time). And have a great week!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Enjoy Chapter 9!

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><p>"Brilliantly done, Severus."<p>

The ticking and whirring of the magical instruments filled the otherwise silent air.

"Severus?"

The man clad in black lifted his head from his hands.

"Yes. Well done. Placing them together. I know."

"It will work."

Silence before the white-haired man spoke again.

"Although," he sighed, "you have left Harry without a great deal of protection."

"The boy has proved time and time again that he has enough sheer dumb luck to scrape by on his own."

"It will work," the old man repeated, almost to himself. "What you are trying to achieve with Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger will undoubtedly work."

"His mind may be too set in his ways."

"Severus, you of all people should know that people who are raised with hate and contempt are able to love even more strongly than those who have known compassion all their life."

"What do you know?" Snape spat as he rose from his desk. "You're a mere painting! A feeble representation of the man whose love lead to a curse that would claim his life!"

"A life ended by the devotion of a wise friend," the painting of Albus Dumbledore replied.

"Devotion," Snape issued a hollow laugh. "When has devotion ever played a good role in either of our lives?"

"Right now," was Dumbledore's reply. "Not only is your devotion to what is just and right protecting the students of this school, it is allowing Draco Malfoy not to repeat the same mistakes you made all those years ago."

"My mistakes?"

"Yes, Severus. The mistakes you made by listening to the prejudices you were brought up with. The mistakes you made when you let your peers mold you into a follower of something we both know you don't believe in. The mistakes you made when you pushed Lily away and-"

"Alright!" The pain of memories was obvious on the younger man's face.

"Forcing Draco to see that his prejudices are false is no small victory, even though it does not erase your past."

"One boy's altered mind does not win a war."

"Don't be too sure, Severus."

* * *

><p>A week had passed since their odd exchange, but Hermione had found no opportunity to test Draco. They were back to the old routine, and she only saw him when he gave her food. He no longer waited, however, until her back was turned before standing in her presence. Hermione began to get the impression that Draco was testing his strength day by day. Each time she saw him he would linger a little bit longer than the time before. Once she opened her mouth to speak, though, he was gone.<p>

She had taken to humming in between meals, because the lack of human interaction was starting to affect her, and this was the next best thing. She hummed everything she could remember: lullabies her father used to sing to her as a child, numbers from musicals she had seen with her parents while on holiday, and some of the few Weird Sisters' hits she had learned while spending time with Ginny. Anything to keep the silence at bay.

On the ninth day, Draco brought Hermione's meal as usual. His fists were clenched at his sides and he had yet to make direct eye contact with her since…

"_I've made that face too many times not to know what it means."_

The sincerity on his face had nearly driven Hermione mad all week. She had only seen Draco without his shield of sarcasm once and that was two seconds before she slapped him in their third year. He had grown to be all too predictable, but this had been different.

He stood there, and she could see it; he was pushing himself to stay just a little bit longer with every passing second. Hermione couldn't pass up this chance.

"This is my favorite you know," she blurted out before he could make up his mind to leave.

"What?" His fists clenched tighter.

"Mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon," she said, pointing at the dish he had deposited at her feet. "I like it."

"I didn't bring it for you so you could like it. I brought it for you so you wouldn't starve to death down here. Apparently someone in high places thinks you're still useful. Although, if you ask me, I don't think you're worth a-"

"I didn't ask you, did I?" Hermione said, undercutting Draco's feeble attempt at bullying her. "And next time I won't even bother trying to thank you."

"Thank me? Are you blind, Granger? You're in a prison where no one can hear you if you scream for help! Once the Dark Lord hears that you are here, you're sure to be tortured and killed! And your family…"

Hermione stiffened.

"What about my family?"

* * *

><p>Draco had to be going insane. There was no other excuse for how many times he'd slipped up, let his emotions show, in front of Granger.<p>

"What about my family?" she repeated.

"Nothing," he said.

_Nothing worse than what's going to happen to mine._

"They're the least of your worries now that you're going insane," he said, regaining some of his bitterness, unsure if it was directed at himself or at the now puzzled girl in front of him.

"Insane?"

"Is there an echo in here? Yes, Granger, insane!" He was all riled up now. "You hum day and night like a bloody parakeet and thank me even though I'm the one that keeps you here! Next thing I know, you'll be dancing on that thick head of yours!"

"You mean," she barely whispered, "you hear me hum?"

"What the hell did I just s-"

"I only hum when I think you're gone," she continued. "You're here the whole time."

Draco immediately took up the defensive.

"Yeah, it's my job to make sure you-"

"You're just as trapped as I am," she said, almost to herself. Silence slammed up against Draco's ears following her truth.

_No. I can leave. I've been getting her food, haven't I? I can go wherever I want. _

As he thought the words, he knew they weren't true. Where could he possibly go? Hogwarts was no longer safe. Even if he managed to escape the school, what respectable wizarding family would house him? What would happen to his parents when the Dark Lord found out about his retreat?

And, no matter how far he ran, he could never escape the bond that held him to this Mudblood…

SMACK!

In his train of thought he forgot to maintain control of his feet. When left unattended, the instinctively strode toward Granger and eventually came in contact with the Impedimenta Jinx, sending him flying, once again, into the dungeon wall behind him.

"Are you ok?" Granger's disbelief was evident in her voice.

Draco merely rose and shrugged, trying to play down the embarrassing event. He could have sworn he heard the bushy-haired know-it-all mutter, "And he says _I'm_ insane."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes and spit out a retort.

_She's right. I'm just as trapped as she is._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yay! I updated! I know I missed another weekly deadline, but you have to give me a break because finals are coming up and I had a couple of papers to write. Anyway, let me know what you think! Or if you have suggestions or anything! I actually was pretty proud of this chapter, especially tying Snape back into the story.

Much thanks to ladyandthebaby26 for reviewing! And to Noree and IsmayQuills for adding this story to your alerts! Double thanks to Waiting at the Kitchen Door for doing both, and triple thanks to TequilaShine who did all this and added this story to their favorites! You all made me so happy :-) Seriously, review! It takes two seconds and makes me happy for a long time.

Finally, Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans! Enjoy the food!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Here it is! Chapter 10! Read, and I'll talk afterward.

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><p>"You really should have that looked at."<p>

Draco's hands instinctively covered the decent-sized lump on his head where it made contact with the wall days previously.

"It's fine. What do you care anyway?"

"Just because we're on different sides and you happen to be holding me hostage doesn't mean—"

"Must you open your mouth every time someone asks you a question? We're not in class, Granger, you can shut up."

Hermione clamped her mouth closed and tried to hide her reddening complexion. Draco snorted and left.

Of course she didn't care that he let his injury go unchecked. It even gave her a grim satisfaction to see his arrogance knocked around a bit.

_Serves him right if he did get a concussion, _she thought.

She had already dismissed the matter and had begun eating the food Draco had placed in front of her when Draco stormed back around the corner and glared at her.

"Why do you care?"

"I thought you wanted me to shut up."

Draco ignored her.

"How the hell can you possibly care about me when everyone you know has a price on their head? When your lives are threatened by the mere existence of us? How can you care about a stupid bump on a head when any day now you can be killed? How can you care?"

Hermione looked at him half amused, half thoughtful.

"Same way you can, Draco."

"What?"

"You can't tell me that torturing me was the most mundane thing you've ever done."

"What?" he repeated.

"I may have been preoccupied with my own, but I recognized the pain in your voice. The pain when you told me to scream so it could be over. Why do you think I complied?"

"You're delusional, Granger."

"Am I?" she countered swiftly. "I am completely at your mercy. You could easily let me starve down here."

"I'm under orders—"

"—to keep me alive, yes. But to give me this much food this often? I haven't gotten hungry once since I've been here. And you have never raised your wand against me."

"That could easily be changed."

"I'm not complaining. I'm simply stating that if you truly believed what your family believes, if you truly believed that I'm a filthy Mudblood that isn't worth the nourishment or space of this earth, then I would definitely look the part a little bit more, wouldn't I?"

Draco's eyes roamed her. She immediately became self-conscious. Sure, she hadn't properly showered since she'd been held captive, but she hoped there was nothing about her to suggest dirt or muck. She had always been naturally slim, but she didn't look undernourished. He'd been feeding her well. She stared back at him, trying to make sense of his piercing look.

Something broke his concentration.

His hand slowly moved to his chest, and his gaze followed. When he lifted his head again, the look of wonderment and something else took Hermione entirely by surprise.

Before she could open her mouth to ask, he was gone.

_Terror, _Hermione thought, placing the other expression on his face.

_He's terrified._

* * *

><p>Draco's mind frantically tried to come up with a better plan. Granger was getting to him, and ever since she brought to his attention that he had nowhere to go, that he was trapped, he had been desperately wracking his brain for a solution that would prove her wrong. It was all he could think about, her staring at him with those sympathetic eyes. The eyes he needed to see in a couple of minutes if he didn't want his body to break down in sheer pain.<p>

The bond was different now, more complex. The pain was most definitely there when Granger was not, but there was something else. He wished to be in her presence and talk with her.

_She's the only living creature I see anymore besides the pathetic house elves._

Draco's vain attempt to convince himself that this was the reason behind the new bond occupied his mind as he roamed the catacombs of the castle for the rest of the day. Once his stomach began to rumble he made his way to the kitchen to fetch both his and Granger's dinner.

He barely took notice of the house elves as they thrust food into his hands. The service was better than what he was used to, but it was not worth noting. He left the kitchens with an armful of food and a brain full of Granger.

Then he ran into the Carrows.

"Draco," Alecto cooed in mock excitement. "How we've missed you."

"Yes," Amycus hissed. "Particularly in those lovely detention sessions. You should see how well they have progressed, Draco. You'd be so proud of your friends. They've taken quite a liking to torturing their peers."

"If 'peers' is even the right word for those filthy blood-traitors," Alecto added.

Draco had no response so he merely ducked his head and mumbled, "Right." He attempted to slide past the siblings, but they moved to block his path.

"Such an abundance of food," Amycus remarked.

"Well, you have to remember, dear brother, that Draco has been skipping out on the Great Hall."

"Ah, yes. Now why would that be?"

Draco panicked. They knew.

They knew Granger was still in the castle, hidden from them by Snape.

_Why should that bother me? _He thought, trying to push his panic aside. _Let them find Granger. Then this madness can finally end. She'll tell them where Potter is, the Dark Lord can kill him, and then all of this will be over._

A dim memory flickered to the forefront of his mind. Hermione Granger, writhing on the ground under the power of his wand. The blood running down the side of her mouth as she threw her head back and finally screamed after ages of nobly keeping her silence.

Draco barely kept down the bile that the memory triggered. It was sickening to watch the first time, her body twitching in such an unnatural way, he couldn't bear to let it happen again.

"Orders," he said, finally deciding that the excuse that he used for every crumbling piece of his life would suffice.

"Of course," Amycus nodded, moving closer to Draco. "Must be for that new soup kitchen the Dark Lord wants to open."

"Tell us where she is," Alecto demanded, all sarcasm dropped.

"I said I'm under orders," Draco repeated, more haughtiness to his voice, "Unless you idiots can't hear—"

"Tell us where the Mudblood is!" Amycus leveled his wand at Draco's chest.

"You can't be serious. I haven't got time for this."

No sooner had Draco made an attempt to pass when Amycus shoved him back, causing a bowl of noodles and some bread rolls to spill out of his arms.

"I know she's here! She's the key to winning this war, Draco! She knows where Potter is. She knows his plans! With a little persuasion, we can get her to tell us anything! The war will end because of you! The Dark Lord won't overlook that service. You and your sorry excuse for parents can finally have a life again instead of weaseling in and out of the woodwork," Amycus sneered.

Draco felt the familiar anger take over. Any insult to his family, any reminder of their reduced circumstances shot adrenaline through his veins faster than any magic.

"How dare you—"

Amycus raised his wand.

"The Dark Lord won't like it if you curse me," Draco said.

"The hell he won't," scoffed Amycus. "You're nothing to him. Filth that he's keeping around for who knows what reason. I'm wasting my time just talking to you."

The elder Death Eater slashed the air with his wand.

"STUPEF—"

A blinding white light flooded the room in an instant, blocking the Carrows from view and causing Draco to shield his eyes. He heard two thick thuds.

As quickly as it had come, the light vanished. Quickly, Draco took in his surroundings. The Carrows were on the ground, unconscious. Blood trickled from both their hairlines, as if something had clobbered them over the head.

Draco wasted no time leaving the hall. He sprinted back to the safety of the dungeons. His chest heaved and his brain reeled. He felt as if he would burst out of his skin at any moment.

Because he could have sworn that the light burst from his own chest.

_Right where the tether is._

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><p><strong>AN: **I know, I know. I totally missed my weekly update. By a lot. In my defense, finals are coming up and I had a lot of work to get done. I really hoped you like this chapter. For some reason I really enjoyed writing it. Not that I don't enjoy writing the others, it's just that this one was really fun. I got it done in about two days.

Please review. My motto concerning that is as always: it takes two seconds and makes me happy for a very long time. Thank you to KellyLane for adding this story to your favorites! And to All That is Goode for adding this to your story alerts! Have a great weekend, guys.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Finally updated! Read and then I'll talk at the end :-)

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><p>Stumbling into the dungeons, Draco attempted to mentally erase his bewilderment. The last thing he needed was another trait that labeled him as a freak. He did not want to add a Death-Eater-obliterating, chest-oriented light to the ever-growing list along with failing to kill Albus Dumbledore and retching at the very thought of torture.<p>

Fury and terror ripped through Draco as he rounded the corner and came within sight of the Mudblood.

"This is all your fault!" he accused, clutching at his chest. She jumped at his sudden appearance.

The angry blonde then proceeded to yell at her. He lost track of how long his tirade lasted or what terrible names he was calling her. He was sure "Mudblood" was slipping out most often, but he didn't care. She had no clue. Locked away in the dungeon, she had no idea the irrepressible war going on in his mind that was infinitely more tortuous than the Dark Lord's war. She didn't know what it was like to torture people she had known since her childhood. She didn't know how it felt when the only thing to hold on to, the only thing that made sense, was the hatred instilled in her since birth.

She didn't know any of that, but Draco knew all too well.

Granger didn't know the influence she held over him, both magical and circumstantial. She didn't know how constant contact with her and no one else was slowly driving him mad, slowly warping his perception.

She didn't know any of that, but Draco did, and he'd be damned if he didn't make her pay for her ignorance.

After several minutes of ranting, he ran out of steam and faltered into silence. He truly looked at her for the first time since stormed into the dungeon. Granger's hair was flatter on one side, as if she had been laying on it. She was obviously surprised by his outburst, but she wore an expression of patience like one of a teacher weathering another naughty child's tantrum. That irked him to no end.

"You amaze me," Hermione whispered, then clamped her hands over her mouth. She didn't mean to say it out loud.

"What?" Draco whipped his head back around to look at her.

His sudden response startled her, but his insolent expression summoned a strange confidence that she often felt before answering a question in class.

"You're so scared of losing your parents, the only people who have shown you any compassion whatsoever, that you reject and torture the only people that would actually give you a decent chance at saving them!"

"Thank you very much for that wonderful psychoanalysis—"

"There you go again! Take a look around, Malfoy! We're the only ones down here. Like it or not, we're all the other has at the moment, and you would throw away the only real human interaction you can get!"

"Human?" Draco maintained his sarcastic air. "In case you have forgotten from the thousand times I've reminded you, your breed is called Mud-"

"I know!" Hermione yelled, throwing her hands up. Any pity she had for Draco dissolved into frustration for the moment. She had been angry at him before, enough to punch him even, but she had never harbored this numb fury. She had never truly thought of him as a Death Eater until this moment. "I'm scum to you! I'm a blubbering idiot that happens to get better marks than you in every single subject. And it only makes it worse that I have a sense of loyalty and morality. It only makes it worse that I find torturing people barbaric and that I have the capacity to love!"

"You think I enjoy this bullshit?" Hermione flinched at his crude language. Sure, he had been nothing but insulting to her for the past six years, but he had never stooped so low as to resort to foul language. "You think I enjoy being down here with your…"

"My what?" Hermione said, incensed. "My filth?"

Draco felt the blood rushing in his ears. His heartbeat had skyrocketed during the excitement of the fight, but now the pressure and heat he felt in his entire body focused in at his chest.

"Fuck, not again."

From his core exploded a blinding light that washed out the dungeon. His last focus before his surroundings were lost around him was Granger's fear-stricken, bright eyes.

After what seemed like ages, the light imploded back into Draco's chest. Blinking through the spots in his vision, he sought Granger's face. She was scared. Good.

He knew exactly what he was doing as he stepped toward her. She didn't retreat, placing her faith in the jinx holding her in her cell. So when Draco crossed into her prison without consequence, his ears received her gasp of shock with grim satisfaction. He backed her into a corner and stopped with his body mere centimeters from hers. He swallowed down how glorious it felt, being this close to her. His body sang as the bond was satisfied, but he had to ignore that to convey his next sentiment.

"Don't you dare accuse me of disloyalty."

"Loyalty to a mass murderer doesn't count."

"You have no idea—"

"Of what? The consequences if you don't come through? Tell me, Draco, what is it that's worth torturing for? Your family? They'll never be safe as long as _he _is in power."

"At least now they're on the winning side. Better alive than obliterated."

"Yeah, maybe I will be obliterated. But, even if we do lose this war, I wouldn't want to live in the world _he's _created. Neither do you, because you hate it. You're scared, and you hate that too. At least I'll die knowing I fought for my loved ones' lives instead of conceding defeat so that they can have a shadow of a life."

Even though he wasn't touching her, he could feel Granger's body soften from the tense position it was in as she said her piece. He felt his own body blissfully relax in response.

_Bloody hell, if this is what it feels like being close to her, if I just closed the distance…_

Her brown eyes widened as he pressed his body up against hers. He couldn't help himself. He let out a sigh of bliss. This was euphoria. Paradise. All the thoughts of their row dissolved into utter happiness as he held onto her. There weren't words to describe the sensation coursing through his veins, but he knew that this was the best he could ever remember feeling physically. His headache from shouting vanished, and his bones felt like jelly.

_Merlin, this is better than an orgasm, _he admitted to himself sheepishly. _I wonder…_

Before he could entertain any sexual thoughts about Granger, she shoved him away from her with sudden strength.

"What do you think you're doing?" She said, voice trembling. "I won't let you touch me like that! Get away from me!"

Realizing that she must have thought he was trying to cop a feel, he left the alcove, recast the Impedimenta Jinx, and retreated down the hall, cursing himself for even thinking of Granger in that way. All intention of carrying on the fight dissolved when he saw the horror on her face.

And yet, Draco was already planning on how to convince Granger to let him touch her again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Soooooo, how was it? In case youhaven't caught on, I use the line separations to distinguish between Hermione and Draco's POV, but, as you can see in this chapter, I sort of mushed it all together. I know that's not very professional, but it was just how it came out of my mind and onto the page (or Microsoft Word).

Anyway, many apologies for not updating last week. It's been pretty stressful around here. Went through finals' week, packed and came home, my sister-in-law had her baby on Monday, and there have been complications every day since. So basically, I've been at the hospital all this week supporting her and my brother. So please keep them and my baby niece in your thoughts and prayers.

As always, review! It takes two seconds and leaves me happy for a long time. Also, thank you to behindblueeyesxo and RichelleBrinkley for adding this story to your favorites, and thank you to yesterdays-dragon and Zillawisp for adding this story to your alerts! Much love to you all!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Happy New Year everyone! I know I'm a day late, but I pretty much finished this in the middle of the night last night. So I figured I'd upload it today. Read!

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><p>Draco approached her unflinchingly, that's when she realized it was a dream, which made her even more uncomfortable. He stopped within inches of her, and reached up his hand to cup her face. Stroking calming circles over her cheek with his thumb, he stared at her for what she found herself hoping would be an infinite amount of time.<p>

She took advantage of the dream to study Draco's face without consequence. This Draco seemed to bear every resemblance to the real one at first glance, but, upon further investigation, Hermione noticed an alteration. This was a Draco untouched by war. His cheeks were fuller and his face devoid of the lines of stress and worry that had been etched into him for the past year. Finally, she found the eyes that had undergone a metamorphosis in the weeks he had been her jailer. Hermione had never put much stock in the literary stereotype that eyes told you everything you needed to know about a person's soul, but she would be blind not to notice that Draco no longer looked at her with fear and hatred, but with tentative curiosity. All of this paled in comparison as she looked into dream-Draco's eyes. Time turned back and she felt a pang of sympathy while looking into the bright eyes of the Draco of her past. These were the eyes of the Draco she punched in her third year. These were the eyes of a misguided boy who laughed often and sought adoration from others. These were the eyes she yearned to see when she woke up as proof that the war was over and she could rest easy.

"Why," Hermione began, no longer able to contain herself. "Why am I having this dream? I mean, I know you must be rooted in my subconscious since you have been the only person I've interacted with in almost a month, and you can hardly answer logically because you're something my obviously strained and confused mind made up—"

"You don't shut up even in your dreams, do you?" Draco said with a light smile. Hermione felt a retort form in her throat, but Draco spoke before she could. "Don't be so hard on me, Hermione." The sound of her first name in his tones sent her heart speeding along faster than the speed of magic. His smile grew as if he heard her change in heartbeat. "You know I don't want to be what I am. You can see it every time I look at you. You know this is the only life I was ever allowed to have. Let me live another life."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does," Draco said. The pull of consciousness began to grab hold of Hermione. "It's all in your head."

* * *

><p>Draco hurtled himself down the dimly lit staircase. Chasing him were the sounds of fresh fighting several flights above.<p>

_Shit. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. _

Many minutes later he skidded to a halt in front of Granger's cell. Feeling a breeze of comfort in the appeasement of the bond, he undid the Impedimenta Jinx swiftly and moved to her just-waking form.

"Get up," he growled, pulling her to her feet. Trying to ignore the goose bumps rising on his arm from the sin to skin contact, he tugged Granger deeper into the dungeons.

They ran until their feet felt sore. Draco heard Granger whisper something as they turned what had to have been the hundredth corner. Finally, she put up a fuss and yanked out of his grasp. His wand was at her chest before she could move another centimeter.

"What is happening?"

"Bloody hell, Granger, I don't have time for this!" He reached out to grab her again, but she dodged.

"Tell me what is happening, Malfoy, or I won't go another step!"

"Granger, I will kill you if you don't move!"

"That's a laugh! They want me alive, and you hate torturing. It's obvious."

All was silent as a war waged in Draco's mind. One look at Granger's stone-set face and he knew it would be easier to appease her than to challenge her stubbornness.

"They're coming for us."

"Who is?"

"The Carrows. Mulciber. Merlin knows who else."

"And you're running from them."

"No, this is my idea of an evening stroll!"

With his sarcastic outburst, Draco finally regained hold of Granger and began pulling her down their previous path.

"At least give me my wand back. I can help defend us."

"Maybe your tiny memory has crumbled under the stress, but Snape has it, and he's a little busy fighting for our lives at the moment."

"Stop!" Granger yelled. Draco found himself being pushed into the nearest wall by the full force of her body. "Now you're going to tell me exactly what is going on!"

_Sweet Merlin, this feels way too… right._

Draco had to bite his tongue to keep his thoughts from spilling out.

"What is going on?" she breathed, allowing some of her fear to show through. Draco remained silent for fear that if he opened his mouth all that would come out would be pleas and begging to let him stay this close to her forever. Every inch of him seared with the utmost pleasure. He wanted nothing more than to melt into her.

She backed away slowly, a new expression dawning on her face. Draco would have grabbed her and pushed her up against the opposite wall had she not begun to speak again.

"You have no idea what's going on, do you?"

"I follow orders to survive."

"And whose orders are they?"

"Snape told me to take you and run. Seeing as how he was followed by about twenty curses, it seemed like a good idea!"

"And why would the other Death Eaters want to curse Snape?"

"I don't know everything!"

"Then why trust him?"

"Snape made an oath to protect me and my family."

"And the rest of us can just go to hell, is that it?"

Draco took a threatening step toward Granger.

"They are all I have left!"

After Draco's exclamation followed silence. His stride toward Granger had been wider than he originally calculated, and now he found himself quite close to her. Draco knew that as soon as he was a reasonable distance away from her he would kick himself for allowing himself to be so close to the Mudblood so often in such a short period of time. For now, however, he couldn't care less.

"Why do you keep doing that?" she whispered.

"Doing what?"

"This," she said, gesturing at the little distance between their bodies.

He laughed, and, for a moment, Hermione perceived a glimmer of Draco's old mirth. His residual grin made her feel both hopeful and uneasy.

"Why do you never back away?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. The urge to roll her eyes at such a response nearly overpowered her.

Hermione had a thousand retorts that her lightning-fast wit conjured, but they all crumbled to dust when she realized Draco had every intention of closing what little space they had left between them. The smug look on his face told her that he was testing her: a most twisted game of chicken. The room spun as Hermione ran every logical outcome through her mind. Should she back away and give him the satisfaction of winning? Or should she stay strong and let him… what? Let him touch her? Kiss her? What exactly was he planning on doing?

Like an echo from a distant world, voices rebounding down the corridor saved Hermione from making that choice. Draco broke away from her and commanded her to run.

On they went, the voices growing louder behind them. Left, right, right, left, right, left, left. Hermione's head spun from the abrupt turns. Soon, the first of the curses zoomed past her ear. She did not dare look back as dozens more flew past. Draco urged her on from ahead, but she could feel and hear their pursuers gaining. Draco lobbed a few jinxes over his shoulder, but his hurried accuracy did them no good.

It all happened very fast. In one instant, Hermione Granger was sprinting for her life, the next she hit the ground, unable to move. Little seconds later, a good, hearty thump told her that Draco had been hit with the Body-Bind Jinx as well. Blood began to mat her hair down where her head crashed into stone.

She barely had time to comprehend the pain before a harsh kick rolled her onto her back, and she stared up into the twisted face of Alecto Carrow.

"Congratulations, boys," she leered. "We just caught ourselves the key to winning the war."

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><p><strong>AN: **There you are! I hope it was worth the wait. I gave myself a bit of a break since it was Christmas and all that. Now that I actually have an outline for this story it should be a lot more structured. Thanks as always to JaspersEmotionalGirl for the review and nyny421 for adding this fic to your alerts! Here comes the motto: It only takes a couple seconds to review, and it makes me happy for a very long time! Thank you all for reading.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Hurry! It's a new chapter! Read! We'll talk at the end.

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><p>Hermione woke on the cold, hard floor. Keeping her eyes closed and rolling on her side, she opened her mouth to get in the first insult of the day with Draco. She felt herself smiling as the words formed in her mind. Hermione knew Draco would return immediately what he thought was a wittier insult, and she had come to look forward to their sleepily exchanged, good-morning insults. She stretched the kinks out of her neck and froze.<p>

The subtle cracking of the dried blood on the back of her neck alerted her to the difference in her situation. The memories of running down corridor after corridor surged to the forefront of her mind, and she thrust her eyelids open.

Hermione's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Squinting, she began to make out the low, sloping ceiling and the dirty walls. A black iron door leading to a staircase and the dirt floor made her heart sink. She was no longer in Hogwarts.

Screams echoed from above. Hermione rose to her feet quickly. She closed her eyes for a minute as the dizziness that blossomed in her head injury swam through her entire body. Pushing past the spots in her eyes, she began to roam through the basement. The horrific screams persisted, making her feel ill. She found support against a near wall. As her head settled against it, Hermione noticed the inconsistency of the cool surface. It poked uncomfortably at her wound, and she spun around to determine why.

An inevitable sharp intake of breath as she took in the carved, stone serpent entwined around the menacing "M" eliminated the silence. She had heard him speak of this place many times before, but never did she imagine its walls would ever contain her.

"_This castle is nothing compared to Malfoy Manor. How wonderful it will be to go home for holiday and be in a proper residence."_

Hermione nearly scoffed as she looked at her gloomy surroundings. This was no proper residence. It was a prison. Her only comfort lay in the grim satisfaction of the blood from her wound smeared over the Malfoy crest.

"See them get the Mudblood out of that."

Her sudden bravado was lost when the yells of pure agony from above brought on another wave of dizziness. Hermione sunk to the floor clutching the back of her head. Soon, a ringing in her ears masked the painful cries, and the world around her grew fuzzy…

Familiar faces and smells burst through her mind. Her father smelling of peppermint. Her mother's tight hugs. Harry smirking at her from behind Ron's back. The Great Hall at Christmas. Ron's blush as she complimented his spellwork. Wave after wave lapped over her until she began to drown in the memories. Gasping for air, the memories began to slow their pace and she arrived at one in particular…

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><p>"Welcome home, sweetheart!"<p>

Her mother's voice filled her with comfort. It had been her first time away for school, and the separation had taken its toll both on her and her parents.

The powerful smell of peppermint and pine hit her like a troll's club as she walked into the parlor. Hermione loved Christmas.

"You can unpack in a bit," Mr. Granger's voice came breathless from the cold. "But, first, tell us all about Hogwarts."

Tea was poured and Hermione spouted everything she could remember about her beloved school.

"Exactly like how I read in _Hogwarts: A History_… The paintings can be very rude… Professor McGonagall says I'm progressing at the rate of a fourth year!... Once I learn to Apparate I expect I won't have much use for brooms anyway…"

"Did you make any friends, dear?" her father inquired, interrupting her spirited explanation of the obvious distinction between Locomotor Mortis and Wingardium Leviosa.

"Oh, yes!" Mr. and Mrs. Granger relaxed subtly. "Harry is perfectly agreeable and Ron… Well, Ron is Ron."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart. So nobody has been giving you any trouble?"

Hermione's thoughts instantly turned to white-blonde hair shaking with laughter. Just when she thought he exhausted his pension for mockery, he found another flaw with her. Recalling his most recent taunt, her hand absently covered her mouth, home to her large front teeth.

"Oh, sweetheart, no," her mother soothed when she noticed the familiar gesture. "How many times must we say it? Your smile is beautiful. You have lovely, healthy teeth."

Hermione made no response.

"Hermione Jean," Mr. Granger said firmly. "If someone bullies you, you should know that—"

"They're only doing it because they're insecure and they feel threatened by my intelligence," she finished, irritated. "But not this one! He has everything, and I'm sure a lifetime of experience helps him in the classroom—" Hermione halted out of fear that she offended her Muggle parents.

"I have complete faith in you," her father stated. "Faith that you'll overcome any setback thrown at you. You always have. And remember what Dr. Parker said," Hermione cringed at the name of her childhood therapist, "bullies are no longer bullies if you befriend them."

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and her parents comforted her by placing kisses on her forehead.

"Now," her mother said cheerfully, "who wants some toast and jam?"

A new memory began to take hold…

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><p>Flitwick bumbled past her, already getting lost in the swarm of students as he squeaked, "I'll be back in moment!"<p>

Hermione stared at the back of his platinum hair. She had yet to find an opportunity to follow her parents' advice from two years ago. If she was being honest with herself, she had not been looking for opportunities; he was insufferable. Hermione begrudgingly admitted that this was as good a time as ever. She drew in as much breath as she could and approached him.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Mudblood."

"Honestly? It's just us and you're still keeping that up? That whole 'Mudblood's are as dumb and useless as mud so they deserved to be treated like mud' bit? You do know why he asked us to stay, right?"

"Are you under the misapprehension that I enjoy hearing your voice?"

"Are you under the misapprehension that you are funny or smart?"

"Now who's forgetting why we've been asked to stay?" Draco smirked.

"We've been asked to stay because we're the top two in the class. A rank I earned by mastering magic beyond normal skill level without a wizarding background."

"Only because you spend every waking second with your nose stuck in a book. Hell, you may even sleep with them like teddy bears. Or maybe it's because you hide test answers in your hair. Who knows what's nesting in that thing."

Hermione huffed, growing more impatient by the second. "If anything I have had more obstacles than you to overcome! Does-"

"Granger, let me save you from embarrassing yourself any further than you already have." Hermione opened her mouth to reply, sucked in a sharp breath, and then pressed her lips together in anger. Draco's grin stretched a millimeter wider. "This isn't going to work."

Hermione felt the confusion manipulate her face.

"Trying to convince me that you're any less of a Mudblood by stating how much of a know-it-all you are isn't going to work."

His smirk vanished and he resisted the temptation to give into intimidation as she took a calculated step toward him with fire blazing in her eyes.

"A real wizard would have his own beliefs and not mindlessly repeat whatever his parents shove down his throat."

"How dare you-"

"Alright, Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy!"

The two thirteen-year-olds jumped backwards, away from each other. Hermione could not believe they had inched that close together during their standoff. She had almost been close enough to determine if his eyes were pale blue or really silver like all the other girls said…

"As you know, one of Hogwarts' many traditions is the 'Charming of the Armor', given to the third year most masterful with charms. How wonderful for us that two of you have equally excelled in the Locomotor Charm!"

Hermione forced her lips even tighter together. If it weren't for her huge workload dividing her concentration, she would have surpassed Malfoy's skill in charms blindfolded.

"As you have seen in previous years, not only do the suits of armor sing Christmas carols, but they do a sort of jig before the dessert of the Christmas Eve dinner. This jig is entirely up to the design of the charmer. Now, ah, seeing as how we have two charmers…" Professor Flitwick cleared his throat uncomfortably. "You will have to cooperate in your magic for this to work."

Hermione gripped her wand tighter. Cooperation in magic wasn't difficult. Cooperating with the most insufferable boy she had ever met in making hundreds of heavy metal bodies dance in a semi-graceful fashion was a different tale. One glance at his pale face told her that, for once, they were of like mind: this was not going to happen.

Flitwick, ignoring the tension in the room, Wingardium Leviosa-ed a hefty suit of armor to the center of the room.

"The spell is the same we have practiced for the past week. Keep your minds calm, and remember this is only the first practice session. Cast on my count. Ready?"

Now that the challenge was before her, Hermione's mind instantly converted her frustration into concentration.

"One, two, three!"

"Locomotor Armor!"

Hermione nearly dropped her wand in surprise. The armor instantly sprang to life and glided into a sophisticated waltz. Despite its ancient appearance, no creaks or groans escaped the weathered metal. This didn't faze Hermione. She was accustomed to magic easily bending to her will. It was the shock of pleasure that shot through her whole body from her wand arm that caught her off-guard. Draco's magic did not combat her own but enhanced it instead. Pure ecstasy overwhelmed her while she and Draco complimented each other perfectly, moving the metal man gracefully.

"Well done! Well done!" Flitwick yipped from the corner.

The young witch and wizard ceased their magic and the armor was still once more.

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful! Never before have I seen such unity. It seems to me that practice sessions should be rather shorter than expected. You are free to go for this evening, and we will meet again after your next Charms lesson."

Flitwick bumbled on about how marvelous their magic flowed until they left his classroom. Standing in the deserted corridor, Hermione rounded on Draco.

"That," she said, pointing to the room they had just come from, "in there…" She struggled for the words to convey her thoughts. "Don't ever call me Mudblood again."

She turned and marched off toward Gryffindor Tower, carrying the satisfying look of surprise on Malfoy's face in her mind.

And the memory faded…

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><p>"You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"<p>

She drew her wand before her mind caught up with her. They were now outside, months later, his face wiped clean of all mirth by the danger of her wand. All ten and three-quarter inches of the stretch of vine wood in her hand hummed with her rage.

He had been so… _different_ during the "Charming of the Armor". He had, thus far, refrained from calling her Mudblood. She cursed her naiveté for taking this as a sign of muted respect.

Now his snickers were directed toward the man who comforted her when Draco first branded her as a Mudblood. A man whom Draco also thought inferior to himself. A man whose grieving and sorrow was brought on by none other than Draco himself. And Hermione couldn't take it. Draco's cruelty was harrowing, but the hope that he held something more was too much.

SMACK.

The pureblood's shocked face melted away…

Draco's face matured slightly. The warm light of the Entrance Hall torches cast a soft glow on his face. Feeling the multitude of tears on her face, she ducked her head and desperately tried to wipe them away. She'd be damned if she ever let Malfoy catch her this weak.

She fidgeted in her dress, waiting for him to make some degrading remark. He had cornered her immediately after she had sent Ron and Harry off to bed. Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his, ready for any attack.

The pale eyes held no malice, however, as he reached his hand and lifted it to her face. Despite the draftiness of the castle in winter and her expectations of how his skin would feel, Draco's touch was incredibly warm. His hand still cupped her cheek as he used his thumb to carefully wipe a tear away.

"You…" he whispered.

At the sound of his own voice, he started. His hand jerked away.

"Your teeth look nice," he mumbled and swiftly moved down to the dungeons, away from her.

Hermione stood in utter bewilderment. It was the first genuine compliment she had heard him give anyone.

That thought carried her upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower, forgetting completely her Bulgarian hotshot date in the Great Hall.

"Fairy lights," she whispered to the Fat Lady, a smile growing on her face.

"Looks like you had a very interesting night, dearie," the Fat Lady drunkenly slurred, as she swung open.

Hermione placed her hand over her mouth and felt her slightly shrunken front teeth.

"Yes," she smiled. "Yes I did."

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><p>Screams pierced through the veil of memory and shook Hermione's heart. She opened her eyes and found herself back on the cold floor in Malfoy Manor with her hand over her mouth. A ghost of her former smile still lingered on her lips.<p>

A hearty clang reverberated throughout the basement as someone unlocked the gate to the basement.

"Miss Granger," a familiar breathy voice said. "Madame Lestrange will see you now."

As Wormtail's silvery hand yanked her upright and out of the basement, Hermione had only one thought.

_Wherever Draco is, let him be safe._

_Let him be safe._

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><p><em><strong>AN: **_YESSS! Finally updated! I apologize a thousand times a thousand, but school has been so crazy lately. I will promise you this: I will not abandon this fic. It will have an ending one day, no matter what.

I hoped you picked up what I did with the teeth. If you don't remember, Hermione gets caught in the crosshairs of a jinx-match in the fourth book that causes her teeth to grow. Then, when she's in the hospital wing, she has Madame Pomfrey shrink them down to a normal size rather than her normal buckteeth.

I really hope you liked this chapter. I'd have to say it's my favorite so far. I've been trying to work on varying my sentence structure and expanding my vocabulary. So if anything seems repetitive, please call me out on it!

Hugs and kisses to Ol3and3r and im-incognito for adding this story to your alerts list. And even bigger hugs and kisses to Ol3and3r (again!), JaspersEmotionalGirl, and bushyhaired-american-nerd for your reviews! It takes a second to review, and it makes me happy for a very long time. Keep them coming!

Until next chapter!


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